Oakley Breaking into Surfing Helmet Business with New Age Design

Oakley is hitting the market with a new helmet designed for surfers to help keep them safe in the water.

Andrea Finlay holds up some of the most popular brands of Oakley sunglasses that they offer for sale July 19, 2022, at Harley's Bicycles, 629 N. Main St. Hut Harleys Bicycles New Owner 07 / Sandra J. Milburn/The Hutchinson News / USA TODAY NETWORK

The most important thing for athletes when they are competing, other than winning their event, is doing it safely. When it comes to surfing, people face several dangers when they enter the water.

There is always some risk of disturbing the natural habitat of the aquatic animals that call the water home. Surfing is also very physical, as one bad fall could lead to some serious injuries.

Whether you are an elite professional or someone who surfs casually with friends on the weekend, concussions are an issue. It can be extremely painful hitting the water, especially if you are flipped and go in head first.

We have seen in other sports, such as football, concussions move to the forefront as doctors and leagues work to keep their athletes as safe as possible. Surfing is now doing that, as the use of helmets is becoming more prevalent.

Seeing athletes wear helmets was uncommon. But, in response to injuries in recent years, more and more people are putting safety ahead of what may be aesthetically pleasing.

As Ben Mondy of The Inertia shared, it is becoming more and more common. More than 50 percent of the competitors in the Tahiti-based Championship Tour and Olympic Games were donning helmets.

With them becoming more popular, Oakley is now looking to get into the helmet-making industry. They have launched a new product, the WTR Icon, which is “designed to absorb impact, disperse energy, and reduce blunt force trauma and the outer shell is made from an ultra-light, yet tough-as-nails material called Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS).”

Designed to be as least cumbersome as possible, the WTR Icon weighs only 365 grams. Oakley believes it to be one of the lightest surfing helmets available to consumers right now.

Virginia Tech’s Helmet Lab has given the WTR Icon four stars. A prototype of the model was worn by Caity Simmers during her win at Pipeline Pro and will be available for anyone to purchase in November.

It will be interesting to see how well the Oakley product is received. They are huge compared to some of the other brands that have been producing surfing helmets and could change the marketplace forever. Professionals are taking notice as well.

“A helmet this good could definitely change the mindset around helmets in the surf community,” said Griffin Colapinto.

Oakley is known mostly for its wide selection of sunglasses and apparel. They cater to different outdoor sports, golf, cycling and snow. Breaking into surfing seems like a logical next step.